STWA Inc., a company creating technology focused on energy efficiency of large-scale energy production and improved fuel economy for diesel fleets, today issued an update related to operations, testing facility build-out, and prototype development at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Rocky Mountain Oilfield Testing Center (RMOTC).

STWA reports that while the facility build-out is behind schedule due to various delays from poor weather conditions and third-party lead time interruptions, it is set for prototype testing and is currently in normal working order.

Bjorn Simundson, head of new product development, program management and operations at STWA, said that the company is working to develop its own prototype with the proper personnel, and has had to design and retrofit the majority of the testing facility to get started.

“This included a design and build strategy from the ground-up of the entire infrastructure with fully operational valving, controls, permits, filtration, pipeline pigging and flushing, with the associated delays caused by third-party personnel changes and severe weather,” Simundson stated in the press release. “Additionally, we had to work with our partners here on the requisite testing procedures and protocols. The side benefit of our time delays is that it gave us extra time for phase I testing to more rigorously test our prototype and improve its operational envelope.”

STWA said it spent approximately $500,000 on the upgrades to the RMOTC facility, which was chosen as a suitable testing facility, acceptable to The Pipeline Research Council International (PRCI) and its members. After the upgrades, the company said the facility is valued at roughly $5.5 million. After crossing this initial hurdle, STWA said it does not expect the facility to create any other monetary or timeline burdens.

Cecil Bond Kyte, chairman and CEO of STWA, noted the enormity of work the company has put into the project, and that it will continue to release updates as it proceeds with device testing.

“The project, including planning and implementation, has been massive in scale. The prior time estimates were based on many variables. The fact that our technology had never been attempted at full scale made it all the more important that we eliminate variables and potential challenges upfront. This has made time estimates difficult due to unknown factors and conditions,” Kyte stated. “We will publish certain testing completion information at various stages of the ongoing testing. We are glad to have developed a solid working relationship with the staff at RMOTC and the DOE. With our investment here, STWA plans to be testing numerous devices at this facility for years to come as specific applications are requested by future end users.”